The Dog Stop to Save Dogs from South Korean Meat Trade

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According to the Humane Society International, an estimated 2 million dogs are kept in facilities to be sold off for consumption each year in South Korea. JC McGreehan, owner of The Dog Stop of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is set to travel to South Korea in early July with hopes of rescuing approximately six dogs from the local dog meat trade.

With connections to a South Korea rescue shelter, Save Korean Dogs, McGreehan, plans to bring back the dogs to the U.S. for adoption. Plans are underway as The Dog Stop of Monroeville partners with local shelter Pet Match Rescue, to find the perfect home as each dog will be paired with a new family before arriving to the U.S. Upon arrival, each dog will be examined by a veterinary staff before meeting its new family.

“This rescue project that my team and I are working on means a lot to me; my dog Kimchi is a survivor of the dog meat trade and was rescued from South Korea,” McGreehan said. “I can’t imagine my life without Kimchi, or what her life would have been like either. There is a movement to end the sale of dog meat, and more people in South Korea are getting behind it. What we’re doing is helping propel that movement forward and provide more homes for the dogs to go to.”

Prior to The Dog Stop, McGreehan, has traveled extensively to various overseas places through both his time in the military as well as his humanitarian volunteer work. His leadership and experience serving others guided his professional shift to provide the best experience for his community and their four-legged companions.

“The Dog Stop understands that dogs are not just pets, but valued members of the family. Every Dog Stop location naturally partners with at least one local animal shelter to help dogs find their forever homes whether we’re fostering or hosting an adoption event,” McGreehan said. “Every dog, regardless of where they’re from or their circumstances, deserves to have a good life and a loving home.”

The Dog Stop is an all-inclusive dog care facility that encompasses the idea of being the “one-stop-shop” for pet owners. The dog care facility provides daycare, boarding, grooming, obedience training, in-home services, dog walking and a retail store. Founded in 2009 by friends Chris Kane and Jesse Coslov, the two set out to create a business where not only dogs would leave happy but where owners would feel 100 percent confident in the care their animals would receive.”

“JC and his team are putting a lot of work into this rescue and adoption program,” co-founder Coslov said. “We as business partners could not be any more excited or proud to support him. Every one of us has a dog or an immense love for them, and so to be able to connect other dog lovers with a dog in need, and vice versa giving a dog a loving home—that’s the best part about this project.”

“Our main goal is to bring these dogs back to America and give them hope for a new life,” co-founder Kane said. “JC has the experience of traveling internationally and knowledge of what it entails to adopt a dog from overseas, and more specifically from the dog meat trade in South Korea. I’m confident that this will go well, and I’m excited to see how everyone’s life will change not just the dogs but the adopters as well.”

While the practice of consuming dog meat is culturally based—the movement to end the dog meat trade has grown vastly over the years as younger South Korean generations are now adopting dogs that have been raised for consumption. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has also shown his support as he recently adopted a dog saved from a dog meat facility.